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Coal production across the West declined sharply in 2020, as demand and exports fell during the pandemic. But coal companies do not appear to expect a major recovery this year.
In Montana, production dropped by 23% last year, as the state's largest coal mine, Spring Creek, furloughed 73 workers. The nearby Decker mine struggled throughout the year and finally shut down in January 2021.
Despite the economic recovery nationwide, coal production in Montana is flat year-to-year, suggesting that the industry's long-term decline will continue across the region.
Senate committee voting on Tracy Stone-Manning
After a weeks-long smear campaign against President Biden's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources is about to vote on Tracy Stone-Manning's nomination this morning. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico referred to the effort to derail the nomination as "the worst example of character assassination I have seen on this committee." A tie vote in the committee would pave the way for the full Senate to take up the nomination. If the full Senate vote also ends in a tie, Vice President Kamala Harris would cast the deciding vote.
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People across the spectrum — from ranchers to oil and gas producers to sportsmen and women — see Tracy Stone-Manning as a person they can work with. BLM’s 'multiple-use' mandate requires exactly the type of collaborative approach that Stone-Manning has brought to her career. She understands that regardless of political party, the agency works to serve ALL Americans.”
